Knitting mechanism ahd method op knitting gobes and the



F. E. JONES. KNITTING MECHANISM AND METHOD OF KNITTING GORES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.17, I922. 1,430,814, Patented Oct. 3, 1922. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1 1in g u) 1 B llllll g; mm

0Q q; g

lave-2150?.- EaRFcEefones,

F. E. JONES. KNITTING MECHANISM AND METHOD OF KNITTING. GORES AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. :2. 1922. J 1,430,314, Patented 001;. 3, 1922,

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

. m I 71220771307 E'a-nI cEJOW/eQ Patented Oct. 3, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT FRANK JONES, OF PA'WTUCT'ZE'I, RIZGDE ISLAND, ASSIGNOB TO HEMPHILL COMPANY, OF PAWT'UCKEI, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATIGN OF MASSACHUSETTS.

KNITTING MECHANISIE AND METHOD OF KNITTING GORES AND Til-IE If Application filed August 1?, 1922. Serial No. 582,517.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, FRANK E. Jones, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Knitting Mechanism and Methods of Knitting Gores and the like, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. i

This application is a continuation to common subjectanatter of my co-pending applications, Serial No. 539,840, filed February 28, 1922, abandoned and Serial No. 545,035, filed March 20, 1922.

This invention relates to knitting mechanisms and more particularly to those wherein spring beard needles are employed, and also to a method of knitting gems and the like. The objects of the invention will readily appear from the following descriptio taken with the accompanying drawings of one embodiment of the mechanism of the invention and disclosing instrumentalities fcrrarrying out the steps of the method, the disclosure being for illustrative purposes, and wherein Fig.1 is a' plan view of the knitting head with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a detail transverse section through the web holder cam ringand presser taken on the line 2-2of Fig. 1;

Fig. Sisa detail view of a web holder and nee'dle,the needle being shown in its position near the lowermost point inits descent;

Fig. 3 isia detail view of'the web holder with both the last idle needle and the first active needlebeing shown in their relative positions; 7 I I Fig. 4- is an enlarged detail plan v ew of the web holders and cams for producing the knitting wave; v

Fig. 5 isa development, enlarged, of the needles and their cams shown in connection with the yarn immediately preceding the knitting point in the knitting wave;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are enlarged diagrammatic views of the needles, web holders and the lay of the yarn as the needles are approaching' and they reach the knitting point as viewed from the outside of the needle circle,

the web holder nibs being shown in section; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view of a section of fabric showing a gore constituting the results of the steps of the method of this invention.

lln the present embodiment of the mechanism of the invention, I have shown, merelv ior convenience, its application to a circular knitting machine of the type known as the 7 Banner machine and disclosed in the Hemphiil Patent No. 983,448 dated September 7, 1909, although clearly the invention is equally adapted to be used in connection with other types of machines such as the straight-bar knitting machine.

In the carrying out of the method of this invention it is desirable to produce a fabric composed of narr wed and widened courses A and B (see Fig. '9) united in a gore C, said gore being formed of terminal loops of the narrowed and widened courses A and B and in such a manner that all eyelet holes or apertures in the fabrics of the usual type produced by the methods heretofore known and empl yed will be substantially eliminated or, at least, be so inconspicuous as to be practically unnoticeable.

The method whereby the above results nia be attained preferably includes feeding of the yarn to the needles without sinking it between said needles and involves the use of two sets of needles, one set of which is idle and the other active; the machine being operated reciprocatingly during the formation of the fabric, either the needles or the knitting cams being revolved relatively to the other according to the particular type of machine employed in carrying out the steps of the invention.

F or convenience a machine or mechanism in which the needles are revolved instead of the knitting cams will be employed and these needles are revolved by means of their carrier "rstin one direction and then in the other past the yarn feeding instrumentalities. As the point of the fabric where the last loop has been formed passes the yarn feeding instrumentalities in either direction, the yarn will lead outwardly from the selvage edge of the fabric and be laid directly against the outer face of said needles in passing from said fabric selvage to'said yarn feeding means. During the first part of the reverse movement of the cylinder the first active needle is raised during the narrowing operation by a narrowing picker so that as the yarn leading from the yarn guide to the fabric selvage is being reversed in direction it is laid about the shank of the leading active needle that has just been elevated and forms thereby a support for the yarn during the descending of the following active needles to the knitting point. I

By thus supporting said yarn no other supporting instrumentalities are required in spring needle knitting to separate the new yarn from the loops of the fabric that is supported upon the active needles in order to provide sufficient space betweenwvhmh to depress the needle beards in their descent to the knitting point.

In the present method as inpractically all methods of forming gores such as are used in heel and toe pockets and similar work, it is important, in fact essential, 'to employ web holders or similar instruments which project between the needle stems or shanks of those needles which are idle and in their elevated positions to prevent trapping of the yarn between the web holders and said needle shanks so that the yarn will be free to the selvage edge on the reverse action of the machine. By reason of this necessity the web holder that lies next to the last idle needle is generally advanced to a point where, with the needle in its elevated position, it will support the yarn against the shank of said needle, hence during the descent of the needles to the knitting point, and this refers to the leading active needles, the first active needle having passed the pressing point and having descended far enoughto engage the infeeding yarn to draw it down to the knocking-off point of the old loop, indents said yarn at the moment it strikes the web holder referred to, and this pressure is sufiicient to cause the yarn to snap down over the upper nib of the web holder immediately following the last idle needle, whereafter it lies over and is measured upon the tops of the lower nibs of the web holders, thus providing sufficient yarn to form the new loops, the old loops during this operation, being knocked off over the hooks and the new loops which said hooks contain, to form the stitch.

The present method preferably includes the use of a webdiolder having a very shallow upper nib which is fed or advanced only far enough toward the last idle needle to just graze the yarn that is being drawn down by the first active needle without producing any slack in the portion of the yarn extending from the hook of said first active needle around the last elevated needle to the selvage edge of the fabric, thereby providing a relatively short length of yarn between the points mentioned, all slack whereof will substantially be entirely taken up or absorbed in the formation of thefirst loop in widening so that no apertures, gaps or what are sometimes called eyelet holes will appear along the sides of the gore produced by the interknitting of the last nar rowed loop that is heldby thewithdrawn needle with the loop that is first produced in a corresponding widening course.

Obviously many types of machines or mechanism may be employed to carry out various steps of the method of my invention, but I will disclose the same'with particular reference to the said Banner machine as disclosed in the said Hemphill Patent No. 933,443.

The needles employed in the presentmachine are arranged in circular series urine of the usual spring beard needle type as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 at 1, the stems 2 whereof are reduced or tapered at 3 to form thin pointed strips 4 whichare bent to form the beards 5 terminating in a point 6, (see Fig. 2), the latter being arranged to be depressed at times into an eye 7 formed in the stem 2. The needles'l are provided with knitting butts 8 (see Fig, 5) which cooperate with appropriate knitting cams 9, shown most clearly in Fig. 5, to produce the knitting wave in circular knitting or knit ting waves in reciprocatingknitting according to the direction of movement of the knitting mechanism. p

The invention is also principally concerned with that type of machine wherein the yarn is laid against the needle stems or shanks directly and without sinking it between said shanks and to this endare provided appropriateyarn guides, herein fivebeing shown at 10,11, 12,13 and 14: in

Fig.1 and pivoted at15 to a suitable support 16 of any appropriate design. These yarn guldes are arranged to be moved into and out of operation in any appropriate manner common to hosiery knittin machines and, in view of the fact that all operate in substantially the same manner and form no part of'this'inv'ention, the

showing of one of these yarn guides in operative position in Fig. 5 is believed disposed in close proximity to the outer faces of the needle shanks so that the yarn 17 which leads therefrom into the fabric will lie closely against the outer faces of said needle shanks and thereby dispense with sinkers or other means for indenting the yarn between the needles to insure the beards of said needles passing by the same without splitting the fibres thereof as said beards descend to their pressers in passing toward the knitting point.

In machines of the character shown herein, both latch and spring beard needle machines, it is common to employ devices called web holders which are arranged between the needles and function to engage the fabric or web that has been previously formed and hold down the same so as to prevent the old loops whereby said web is suspended from the needles from working up on said needles and interfering with the formation of the new stitches or loops. This is of particular importance in spring beard needle knitting machines because of the fact that the space between the old loop and the new infeeding yarn is much less than in latch needle machines and should said loops and infeeding yarn be improperly spaced there is likelihood of the beard of the needle being depressed at the wrong point and thereby split the yarn or fail to separate properly the old loop from the new yarn and cause an improper stitch to be formed or produce an imperfection in the fabric.

Located in front of each needle is a beard depresser 18 preferably, though not essentially, of the individual type having an inclined surface 19 adapted to be engagedby the needle beard 5 as it descends toward the knitting point to force the point of said beard into the eye 7 of the needle. The inclined surface 19 of said beard depresser terminates in a relatively straight portion 20 which completes the depressing action of the beard (see Fig. 2). The beard-engaging surfaces of said presser are normally withdrawn from the needle and are only moved into operative engagement therewith'as said needles are descending toward the knitting point, this being accomplished by means hereinafter more fully described. It is, however, the action of the surface 19 of said beard depressers upon the needle beards in their descent to the knitting point which determines the position of the new yarn with relation to the old loops suspended from the needles or rather it is the angle of the infeeding yarn with respect to the knitting waves that may be said to determine the placing of the presser 18, but however this may be, the point 6 of the needle beard should preferably be substantially even with or past the lower edge of the yarn before depressing of the beard takes place or has progressed far enough to cause the point of said beard to cut or separate the strands of the yarn.

The beard engaging surfaces of the pressers act when the beard of the needles reach a certain point in their descent toward the knitting point. Preferably this point is just as the point of the beards has passed the infeeding yarn, and the web holders are quite essential at this point in the operation of the mechanism to hold down the web so as to insure a suflicient space between. the loops that are supported upon the descending needles and said infeeding yarn.

It is, therefore, a function of the web holders hereinbefore referred to, to assist in holding down the web in the vicinity of or preferably substantially at the needle, the point of the beard whereof is passing or has passed the infeeding yarn in its descent to its presser as it approaches the knitting point in the wave produced by the knitting cams 9.

The web holders employed in the present example are, with slight exception, similar to those ordinarily used in this type of machine and include, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, lower nibs 21 which form or constitute the fabric supporting bed, and it is over these lower nibs that the yarn is drawn by the descending needles and measured for the new loops. In addition to said lower nib 21, said web holders include an upper nib 22 which, together with the lower nib 21, form a throat 23 of sufficient depth to receive and hold the web in its depressed position. The upper nib 22 differs from the usual form of web holder used in this type of knitting machine by being cut relatively lower than is customary for such nibs to be cut; in other words said nib is very shallow.

A reason for cutting the nib 23 lower than is ordinarily the case is that said nib may be moved to penetrate the series of needles to engage the web at or in the vicinity of the point above described, via, where the needle beard point is descending and is just passing the infeeding yarn, and to do this without contacting with said infeeding yarn, leaving the latter free and unsupported from the yarn guide to the knitting point, viz., where the loop passes over the top of the needle. Thus the web holders clear the infeeding yarn when the point of the beard of the descending lead 19; needle passes said infeeding yarn. li urthermore it is desirable that said upper nib be not in contact with said yarn but will leave it free and unsupported from the yarn guide to the fabric in regular knitting or from said yarn guide to the last idle needle about which it is partially wound at the beginning cf each reciprocation in oscillatory knitting as the first active needle approaches the knitting point, thus eliminating unnecessary chafing or drag upon the yarn during the measuring of the'yarn for the new loop.

a reason which is preferabtv confined toreciprocating knitting is that which concerns the relation of said shallow upper nib with respect to the last idle needle and the needle about which the yarn is partially wound and leads directly to the yarn feeding means as said last idle needle is approaching the knitting point. In order more clearly to understand this feature of the invention. attention is directed to Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive. Fig. 5 shows a portion of the needles of the circular series elevated to their idle positions, these needles being indicated within the bracket 24-, it being assumed that said needles are travelling in the direction of the arrow in said figure. It should, however, be remembered that this view is looking from the interior of a needle cylinder or carrier outwardly while Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are viewed from the opposite direction; that is, from the outside of the needle row looking in. The needles in the machine herein disclosed are revolved instead of the knitting cams, and during rotary knitting said needles travel in a contraclockwise direction. Thus,

in Fig. 5, the needles are moving as in rotary knitting, although arranged to produce narrowing and widening courses, such, for instance, as in the formation of the heel and toe pockets of a stocking. In these figures a few active needles are represented within the bracket 25, the last idle needle is indicated by the numeral 26 and the first active needle by the numeral 27.

In all knitting machines arranged for oscillatory knitting two sets of stitch cams,

are provided, these being positioned upon opposite sides of a vertlcal. plane passing through the yarn guide 11 and at such distances from said plane that the yarn willv lead at the proper angle from said yarn guide to the knitting points according to the direction of reciprocation of the needles.

Inasmuch as the knitting operations are the same or substantially the same regardless of the direction of movement of the needles, a description of the operation of the feeding yarn, this being thepoint where said needle beard is about to be depressed to cause the point of said heard to pass through the loop h (Fig. 6) supported: upon the shank of the needle 27 It will be ob-' yet said web holder is preferably advanced a at this point as will be seen byreferring to Fig. 2 far enough to engage the web and hold down the loop h to provide the necessary space between that loop and the infeeding yarn 17 for the depression of the beard of the needle 27 and those following. 'As the needles, in their descent, continue to approach the knitting point, they engage the yarn l7 and depress that portion thereof which partially surrounds the needle shank 26 causing it to wipe past the upper nib 22 thereof but, owing to the position of the inner end of said nib which, at this time, has been withdrawn to a oint substantially aligning with the outer face of the needle shank and, owing to the fact that said nib is very shallow, this wiping action will not retard the yarn in its downward movement suflicient to cause any slack togather in that portion of the yarn as is usually the case where the ordinary relatively deep upper nib is employed, hence the further downwardv movement of said needle 27 to the position shown in Fig. 8 will cause the yarn to be drawn down tightly over the upper edges of the lower nibs 21 and measured for the new loops that are to follow. The yarn principally concerned in the aforesaid.operation is that indicated at 17 of Figs 7 and 8, this being the yarn which is held by the idle needle 26 during the formation of the remaining narrowing courses and which yarn forms the first loop in the subsequent widen: ing course coinciding with the narrowing course of which that yarn forms a terminal loop.

It has been stated that the web holder be tween the needles 26 and 27 of Fig. 7 has been withdrawn from between said needles and one reason for this is that space must be provided between the inner ends of the upper nibs 22 and the needles to allow the yarn to be drawn down past said nibs to reach the positions shown in Fig. 8, this being the knitting point. These nibs need not, however, be drawn back beyond the outer faces of the needle shanks at this pointv because of the reduced thickness in the size ofthe shank of the needle as will be seen by reference to Fig. 3, in which position the thin part 4 of the needle hook lies directly-opposite the end of the nose of the upper nib 22 allowing ample space for the yarn to pass substantially unrestricted to the lower nibs of said web holders. Where the needles are elevated such as shown at 26, Figs. 3 7 and 8, the large diameter of the needle shank is opposite the nib 22 and no such space will be provided and the deeper the nib the greater the pressure necessary to cause the yarn to snap by said nib, but by cutting said nib relatively lower than is usually the case, in fact making it very shallow, the resistance to the downward movement of the portion 17 of the yarn will be greatly reduced if not entirely eliminated with the result above described.

By withdrawing the upper nibs 22 of said web holders only to the plane of the outer face of the needle shanks, the yarn will be prevented from snapping down past said nibs in front of the idle needles, and thereby prevent trapping of said yarn in the throats of the web holders during reverse movement of said needles.

Following the knitting point. the needles are again elevated as indicated by the line f, g, Fig. 5, and in order to prevent the web from being carried up by the needles during their ascension and also to knock off the old loop over the needle hook at the knitting point, the web holders are again advanced to penetrate the series of needles and engage said web.

The means for functioning said web holders to perform the various operations described may obviously be varied materially but herein I have shown, for this purpose, a cam ring 28 surmounting the circular series of web holders and consisting of an outer member 29 preferably carrying advancing cams 30 and 31 and an inner member 32 which carries the earns 33 and 34 for retracting said web holders immediately following the position corresponding to that occupied by the needle 27 during opposite reciprocations of the needle carrier, the cams 30 and 31 being those which advance the web holders at the knitting points to knock off the loops and to engage and hold down the web during the subsequent ascension of the needles. A

Opposed to the cam inclines 33 and 34 are cam surfaces 35 and 36, the cam 35 operating to advance said web holders sufficiently in advance of the point occupied by the needle 27, herein approximately eleven web holders, to sufiiciently straighten out the web and preventing buckling thereof as it approaches the needle beard depressing point, immediately following which said web holders are withdrawn by the cam 33. The cam 36 cooperates with the cam 34 to operate said web holders during the reverse action of the needle carrier.

For convenience the cams 33 and 36 are formed upon a separate cam block 37 from the cam block 38 upon which the cams 34 and 35 are formed, said blocks 37 and 38 being preferably pivoted upon a common stud 39 secured to said ring 32 and are adapted to be swung radially with respect to the center of said ring about the stud 39 as a pivot to vary the inner and outer positions of the web holders as desired. Appropriate secureing means for said cams are provided herein consisting of screws 40 and 41 arranged in appropriate slots in said ring. The cam blocks 37 and 38 are arranged to project downwardly between upstanding projections 42 and 43 formed at the front and rear ends of the body portions 44 of said web holders, which upstanding projections extend slightly above the upper nib 22 to provide suflicient. bearing surface for the cams which rest for support upon the upper surface 45 of the web holder bed 46 within which grooves 47 are provided for radially guiding said Web holders.

Suflicient contact between the rings 29 and 32 and the upper edges of the upstanding portions 42 and 43 and also the lower faces of the cam blocks 37 and 38 with the bottom 48 of the recess between said upstanding portions 42 and 43 is provided to maintain said web holders down in the grooves 47 properly todepress the web.

The advancing earns 30 and 31 are arranged to engage the rear portion of the upstanding projection 43 to advance said web holders at the proper time. Means are also provided to move the needle depressers inwardly at the proper points in the knitting wave, said means herein preferably consisting of presser cams 49 and 50 mounted upon the ring 32. The web holders are also yieldingly forced inward at times by a spring band 68 encircling the series of web holders in notches 67 formed at the outer ends thereof.

Inasmuch as the needles are revolved during the knitting operation and with them the web holders, it is necessary to retain the rings 29 and 32 substantially stationary or at least to provide relative movement therebetween and said needles and web holders, and to this end the outer ring member 29 is supplied with a U-shaped bracket 51 having arms 52 and 53 bearing adjusting screws 54, which latter are adjusted properly to engage a fixed standard 55, so as to limit oscillation of said outer ring member 30, permitting, however, a slight movement of said ring, if desired, to effect an accurate readjustment between the cams 30 and 31. with respect to the knitting waves. The inner ring 32 preferably has independent oscillatory movements with respect to said outer ring, which movements are herein regulated by adjustable stop screws 56 mounted in brackets 57 secured to the outer ring 30 and .critical point to hold down the web without contact with the iii-feeding yarn, owing to the fact that the upper nibs thereof are relatively shallow with respect to the upstanding rear portions thereof which form the normal depth oi. the web holders and, by reason of the action of the cams hereinbefore described, upon said'upstanding portions, said noses will be withdrawn immediately following said critical point and as the yarn 17 continues downwardly toward the knitting point so as not to contact with said yarn at least before depression of the needle beards.

Furthermore the shallow upper nib of said web holder will be of material advantage as the web holders of the idle needles are approaching or reaching the knitting point and are again advanced and, because o'l their shallowness, they will more readily slidebe neath the yarn extending from the leading idle needle to the yarn guide between said needles and the throats of the web holders to prevent trapping.

It will also be obvious that the position of the web holders, and particularly the inner ends of the upper nibs thereof, may be carefully adjusted with respect to the first act ve needle and the last idle needle as these needles are approaching the stitch, forming point in the knitting wave so as to provide sufiicient space tor the infeeding yarn to be carried down by the ends oi said nibs to be measured over the upper edges of said lower nibs and yet not be withdrawn far enough to permit the yarn to be trapped in the throats of the web holders of the idle needles and, by reasonoii the shallow formation of said upper nib, the yarn, in its downward i'novement to the knitting point to be measured, will not be retarded to cause any unnecessary slack to appear in the portion thereof which unites succeeding narrowing and corresponding adjacent widening courses to the end that the loops formed by said course-connecting sections of yarn and which form the gore, will. produce a tightly knitted gore and eliminate unnecessary gaps or eyelet holes in the fabric.

Having thus described. one illustrative embodiment of the mechanism of my invention and one embodiment of means for carrying out the method of my invention, I desire it to be. understood that although'specific terms for laying the yarn into supportingcontact with the last idle needle, means for depressing the beards of the descending needles, and web holders arranged between saidneedles and having hold-down portions constructed to hold down the web and to clear said infeeding yarn when the point of the beard "of the descending leading needle passes said inteeding yarn.

2. Knitting mechanism comprising," in combination, a series of individually 111mm ble spring beard needles and knitting cams arranged for relative oscillatory movements, means for laying the yarn directly against the needle shanks, means for depressing the beards of said needles, web holders arranged between the needles and relatively movable with respect thereto, said web holders being so constructed that while out of contact with the infeeding yarn they in turn assume webengaging position adjacent to the leading active needle before closure ofits beard and during the passage of the point of said leading active needle beyond the yarn in proceeding toward the knitting point.

3. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of individually'movable spring beard needles and'knitting cams arranged for relativeoscillatory movements, means for laying the yarn. against the needle shanks, means for depressing the beards "of said needles, web holders arranged between said needles and provided with upper and lower nibs forming athroat to receive the web, said upper nib being relatively shal low, and means for effectmg relative move ment of the needles and web holders to cause the latter to assume webengaging position adjacent to the leading active needle before closure of its beard and during the passage of the. point of said beard beyond the yarn, the relatively shallow portion of said upper nib lying beneath and out of contact with said yarn.

l. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of individually movable spring beard needles and knitting cams arranged for relative oscillatory movements, means for laying the yarn against the needle shanks, means for depressing the beards of saidneedlcs, web holders arranged between said needles and provided with upper and lower nibs forming a throat to receive the web, said upper nib being relatively low, and

means for effecting relative movement of the needles and web holders to cause the latter to assume web-engaging position. adjaleading active needle, as the point of its cent to the leading active needle before closure of its beard and during the passage of the point of said beard beyond the yarn, the relatively low portion of said upper nib lying beneath and out of contact with said yarn prior to the depression of the needle beard.

5. In a knitting mechanism, a web holder having upper and lower nibs forming a webreceiving throat, the upper nib of said web holder being formed relatively low to permit the web holder to be moved to web-engaging position immediately preceding the knitting point without contacting with the infeeding yarn.

6. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of spring beard needles, means for laying the yarn against the needle shanks without sinking it between them, means for depressing the needle beards, web holders arranged between the needles and having upper and lower nibs forming a throat to receive and hold the web, and means for effecting relative movement of the needlesand web holders to cause the latter to assume web holding positions in the vicinity of a descending needle, the point of the beardiwhereof is passing the infeeding yarn, for the purpose of separating said infeeding yarn from said web to permit the point of the needle beard to be pressed therebetween, the upper nib of said web holder being cut away to prevent contact with said infeeding yarn.

7. Knitting mechanism comprising, 1n combination, a series of individually movable spring beard needles arranged for oscillatory knitting with a portion of suit series of needles in their idle positions, means for laying the yarn against the needle shanks and partially winding the same about the last idle needle, means for depressing the beards of said needles, web holders arranged between said needles, and means for effecting relative movement of the needles and web holders to cause the latter to assume web-engaging positions ad acent to the beard is passing the infeeding yarn, for the purpose of separating the web from said infeeding yarn during the pressing of said beard, the upper nib of said web holder being relatively Shallow so as to lie beneath said infeeding yarn when in said position without engaging said yarn.

S. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of spring needles, means for feeding yarn without sinking it to the knitting point, means for depressing the beards of said needles, web holders arranged between the needles and having upper and lower nibs, said lower nib constituting a web support, said upper nib being of less depth than the space between said web and the infeeding yarn at the point where the point of said beard is passing the infeeding yarn, and means to move said web holders between the needles at said beard depressing point to separate said web from said infceding yarn without engaging said yarn.

9. Knitting lilhfllllSIll comprising, in combination, a series of spring needles, a portion of which are idle, cams to function the active needles of said series to produce knitting waves, means for feeding yarn to the knitted web about the shank of the last idle needle as the latter approaches the knitting point, means to depress the needle beards, and web holders having web holding nibs adapted to be moved, without contacting with the infeeding yarn between the needles, the points of the beards whereof are passing said infeeding yarn for the purpose of separating the web from the infeeding yarn during the depressing of the needle beards, said web holders having upper nibs so constructed as to permit the occurrence of the web holding function without contact of the web holders with the in-feeding yarn.

10. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of spring needles, a portion of which are elevated to inactive positions, means for feeding yarn to the activ needles without sinking it, means for depressing the needle beards, web holders provided with shallow web depressing nibs adapted to penetrate the series of needles at the point where the point of the needle beards pass the infeeding yarn to engage the web while non-contacting with said infeeding yarn, and means to withdraw said web holders at the rnitting point to permit the drawing down of the infeeding yarn by the active needles but retaining said web holding nibs in close proximity to the shanks of the elevated idle needles to prevent trapping of said yarn.

11. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of spring needles, means to feed yarn to said needles, without sinking it, means to press the beards of said needles substantially immediately after the point of said beard passes the infeeding yarn in the descending of the needle toward the knitting point, and web holders arranged between the needles each having a shallow upper nib ada ited to penetrate the row of needles to retain down the web at or near the needle whose beard point is passing the infeeding yarn, without said upper nib con tasting withsaid yarn.

12. In a knitting mechanism, a web holder having a lower nib to support the web, an

respect thereto,

feeding yarn and the web to depress the web in the vicinity of the beard depressing point in the knitting w ave without contacting with said. infeeding yarn.

13. In a spring needle knitting mechanism, a web holder having upper and lower between theinfeeding yarn and the web in the vicinity of the beard depressing point in the knitting wave without contacting with said infeeding yarn.

14. In a spring needle knitting mechanism, a web holder having upstanding projections forming opposed operating butts for web holder advancing and retracting means and upper and lower nibs forming a throat to engage and depress the web, said upper nib being formed as a continuation of one of said upstanding projections but relatively lower than the latter to form a shallow nose for projecting between the infeeding yarn and the web in the vicinity of the beard depressing point in the knitting wave without contacting with the infeediug yarn.

15. In a knitting mechanism, a web holder comprising a lower nib adapted to support the web and to measure the yarn for the new loop, an upper nib substantially shorter than said lower nib adapted to form, with said lower nib, a throat to receive the web, the upper surface of said upper nib being cut relatively lower than the top of the body of said web holder to form a shallow nose for projecting between the infeeding yarn and the nib substantially at the beard-de pressing point in the knitting wave without contacting with said infeeding yarn.

16. A; web holder for spring needle knitting machines comprising upper and lower nibs forming a throat forthe web, the upper nib being out relatively lower than the bddy of said web holder and having a relatively shallow rounded nose adapted to be inserted between the infeeding yarn and the web in advance of the beard-depressing point without contacting with said infeeding yarn and to facilitate insertion of said upper nib beneath the yarn at the knitting point to prevent trapping.

17. Knitting mechanism comprising, in

combination, a series of spring beard needles,

means for laying the yarn against the needle shanks without sinking itbetween the needles, means for depressing the needle beards, web holders arranged between the needles and relatively movable with said web holders being so constructed. as to assume web holding positions immediately preceding the knitting point and to be out of supporting contact with the infeeding yarn for theentire distance between the yarn laying means and the said knitting point. i

18. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of individually movable spring beard needles, means for laying the yarn against the needle shanks without sinking it between the needles, means web holdersare employed having'shah low upper nibs and fabric holding lower nibs which consists in laying the yarn against the outer faces of the needle shanks and in partially winding it about the shank of the last idle needle,then indrawingdown the lead ing active needle to engage said yarn and depress it over the lower nibs of the web holders, and in positioning the'said shallow upper nib of the web holder that lies between the last idle needle and the leading active needle as said leading active needle, in descending, is about to engage said yarn, so as to permit the yarn to touch said nib in passing without producing slack in that portion of the yarn leading from said first active needle about the shank of the last idle needle to the selvage of the knitted web.

20. That method of knitting a gore wherein web holders are'employed having shallow upper nibs and fabric holding lower nibs, -which consists in laying the yarn against the outer faces of the needle shanks without sinking it between them' and in partially winding it about the shank of. the

the last idle needle and the leading active needle, as said yarn is about to pass said nib, so as barely to engage said descending yarn without retrading 1ts descent and without producing slack in that portion of said lower web holder nibs and to cast off the old loop and, during the descent of said first active needle, in positioning the said shallow upper nib of the web holder in advance of said last idle needle so as to permit that portion of the yarn lying between the first active needle and the last idle needle to pass said upper nib without producing any slack in said yarn, said upper nib being retained near enough to the shank of said idle needle to cooperate therewith in supporting the yarn on the next reverse movement to prevent trapping of said yarn.

22. That method of knitting a gore wherein web holders are employed having shallow upper nibs and fabric holding lower nibs which consists in laying the yarn against the shanks of the needles, partially winding it about the shank of the last idle needle, then in drawing down the leading active needle to engage said yarn and measure it over the lower web holder nibs and to cast off the old loop, the said upper nib of theweb holder that is immediately in advance of said leading needle being shallow enough and positioned to prevent trapping of the yarn yet permitting that portion of the yarn lying between the first active needle and the last idle needle to pass without producing slack therein.

23. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of individually movable needles and web holders having shallow upper nibs and fabric holding lower nibs, and means cooperating therewith to knit a gore, and including means to lay the yarn against the outer faces of the needle shanks, and partially to wind it about the shank of the last idle needle, means to draw down the leading active needle to engage said yarn and depress it over the said lower nibs of the web holders, means to position the said shallow upper nib of the web holder that lies between the last idle needle and the leading active needle as said leading active needle, in descending, is about to engage said yarn, so as to permit the yarn to touch said nib in passing without producing slack in that portion of the yarn leading from said first active needle about the shank of the last idle needle to the selvage of the knitted web.

24. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of individually movable needles and web holders having shallow upper nibs and fabric holding lower nibs, and means cooperating therewith to knit a gore, and including means to lay the yarn against the outer faces of theneedle shanks without sinking it between them, and partially to wind'it about the shank of the last idle needle, means to draw down the leading active needle to engage said yarn and to measure it over the said lower nibs of the web holders, and means to position the shallow upper nib of the web holder lying between the last idle needle and the leading active needle, as said yarn is aboutto pass said nib, so as barely to engage said descending yarn without retarding its descent and without producing slack in that portion of said yarn between said leading active needle and the edge of the selvage of the knitted web.

25. Knitting mechanism comprising, in combination, a series of individually movable needles and web holders having shallow upper nibs and fabric holding lower nibs, and means cooperating therewith to knit a gore, and including means to lay the yarn against the shanks of the needles and partially to wind it about the shank of the last idle needle, means to draw down the leading active needle to engage said yarn and to measure it over the said lower web holder nibs and to cast off the old loop, and means, active during the descent of the first active needle, to position the said shallow upper nib of the web holder in advance of said last idle needle so as to permit that portion of the yarn lying between the first active needle and the last idle needle, to pass said upper nib without producing any slack in said yarn, and to retain said upper nib near enough to the shank of said idle needle to cooperate therewith in supporting the yarn on the next reverse movement to prevent trapping of said yarn.

26. Knitting mechanism (comprising, in combination, a series of individually movable needles and web holders having shallow upper nibs and fabric holding lower nibs, and means cooperating therewith to knit a gore, and including means to lay the yarn against the shanks of the needles and partially to wind it about the shank of the last idle needle, means to draw down the leading active needle to engage said yarn and measure it over the lower web holder nibs and to cast off the old loop, and means to position the said upper shallow nib of the web holder that is immediately in advance of said leading needle, to prevent trapping of the yarn, yet permittin thatportion of the warn lying between the first active needle and the last idle needle to pass without producing slack therein.

27. That method of reciprocating knitting in the presence of web holders and independently operable needles which comprises laying the infeeding yarn into supporting contact with the last idle needle to support the yarn independently of and free from the adjacent web-engaging web holder at a level to permit depressing the beard of the leading descending needle between the infeedin yarn and the last knitted loop held down upon said descending needle by an adjacent web holder.

28. That method of reciprocating knitting in the presence of web holders and independently operable needles which comprises laying the infeeding yarn into supporting contact with the last idle needle to support the yarn independently of and free from the web holder between said last idle needle and the first ZICtlXG needle at a level to permit depressing the beerdof the leading descending FRANK E; JONES. 

